Skin Color and Attractiveness Modulate Empathy for Pain: An Event-Related Potential Study
Although racial in-group bias in empathy for pain has been reported, empathic responses to others’ pain may be influenced by other characteristics besides race. To explore whether skin color and attractiveness modulate empathy for pain, we recorded 24 participants’ reactions to painful faces from ra...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.780633/full |
| _version_ | 1798025677281165312 |
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| author | Di Yang Di Yang Xiong Li Xiong Li Yinya Zhang Yinya Zhang Zuoshan Li Zuoshan Li Jing Meng Jing Meng |
| author_facet | Di Yang Di Yang Xiong Li Xiong Li Yinya Zhang Yinya Zhang Zuoshan Li Zuoshan Li Jing Meng Jing Meng |
| author_sort | Di Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although racial in-group bias in empathy for pain has been reported, empathic responses to others’ pain may be influenced by other characteristics besides race. To explore whether skin color and attractiveness modulate empathy for pain, we recorded 24 participants’ reactions to painful faces from racial in-group members with different skin color (fair, wheatish, or dark) and attractiveness (more or less attractive) using event-related potentials (ERPs). Results showed that, for more attractive painful faces, dark skin faces were judged as less painful and elicited smaller N2 amplitudes than fair- and wheatish-skinned faces. However, for less attractive faces, there were no significant differences among the three skin colors. Our findings suggest that empathy for pain toward racial in-group members may be influenced by skin color and attractiveness. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:22:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-02e39093a14a4a139efbbb3a0562cb30 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:22:43Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-02e39093a14a4a139efbbb3a0562cb302022-12-22T04:09:43ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782022-01-011210.3389/fpsyg.2021.780633780633Skin Color and Attractiveness Modulate Empathy for Pain: An Event-Related Potential StudyDi Yang0Di Yang1Xiong Li2Xiong Li3Yinya Zhang4Yinya Zhang5Zuoshan Li6Zuoshan Li7Jing Meng8Jing Meng9Key Laboratory of Applied Psychology, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, ChinaSchool of Education, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, ChinaFaculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, ChinaKey Laboratory of Basic Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, ChinaKey Laboratory of Applied Psychology, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, ChinaSchool of Education, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, ChinaKey Laboratory of Applied Psychology, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, ChinaSchool of Education, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, ChinaKey Laboratory of Applied Psychology, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, ChinaSchool of Education, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, ChinaAlthough racial in-group bias in empathy for pain has been reported, empathic responses to others’ pain may be influenced by other characteristics besides race. To explore whether skin color and attractiveness modulate empathy for pain, we recorded 24 participants’ reactions to painful faces from racial in-group members with different skin color (fair, wheatish, or dark) and attractiveness (more or less attractive) using event-related potentials (ERPs). Results showed that, for more attractive painful faces, dark skin faces were judged as less painful and elicited smaller N2 amplitudes than fair- and wheatish-skinned faces. However, for less attractive faces, there were no significant differences among the three skin colors. Our findings suggest that empathy for pain toward racial in-group members may be influenced by skin color and attractiveness.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.780633/fullempathypainskin colorattractivenessevent-related potentials |
| spellingShingle | Di Yang Di Yang Xiong Li Xiong Li Yinya Zhang Yinya Zhang Zuoshan Li Zuoshan Li Jing Meng Jing Meng Skin Color and Attractiveness Modulate Empathy for Pain: An Event-Related Potential Study Frontiers in Psychology empathy pain skin color attractiveness event-related potentials |
| title | Skin Color and Attractiveness Modulate Empathy for Pain: An Event-Related Potential Study |
| title_full | Skin Color and Attractiveness Modulate Empathy for Pain: An Event-Related Potential Study |
| title_fullStr | Skin Color and Attractiveness Modulate Empathy for Pain: An Event-Related Potential Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Skin Color and Attractiveness Modulate Empathy for Pain: An Event-Related Potential Study |
| title_short | Skin Color and Attractiveness Modulate Empathy for Pain: An Event-Related Potential Study |
| title_sort | skin color and attractiveness modulate empathy for pain an event related potential study |
| topic | empathy pain skin color attractiveness event-related potentials |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.780633/full |
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